Posted by drew resnik on August 19, 2010 at 4:02 PM
hi there...crossing over from the central states forum....have a trip planned to south dakota and wondering if this is the right forum to get some info about south dakota badlands?
Posted by Taylor Reed on August 19, 2010 at 4:51 PM
Looks like SD falls under Central.. which, if I remember correctly, is where you post normally
I've visited the badlands and Custer State Park quite a few times and have hiked most of the trails. What did you want to know?
Posted by drew resnik on August 20, 2010 at 1:34 PM
a big oops if i got in the wrong forum...i guess i havent seen anything at all in SD on my forum...its mostly arkansas :) anyway phil thanks for responding...i guess the issue is im going with my family and just starting to plan the trip. so since i have the crew with me i need some easy cherry picker spots with short hikes as well as maybe a couple more difficult treks to worthwhile places since i may try to sneak off a couple mornings alone....
The Badlands offer great views and opportunities from the road. I saw the most spectacular sunrise I've ever seen from the Badlands after an evening storm. From the parking area on the East end of the park the Door and Window Trails are short and easy and offer some good photographic opportunities. The Notch Trail starts from the south end of the same parking lot and offers some dramatic views. I wouldn't suggest this trail for younger kids. I've been there a couple of times late in the day and it is impressive.
From this same parking lot you can hike to the west end of the park. There are a series of trails when combined are about 5 miles one way. This might be a hike you would want to do and leave the family in Wall to look around. You can hike the entire length or make a shorter loop. The hiking is easy and we did it with my 6 year old son. I wouldn't suggest hiking anyplace in the Badlands if it has just rained or looks like rain. The mud sticks to your shoes and is really something to get off.
I always stop at Wall for the cheap coffee. If you haven't see it it's worth a look and you don't have to buy anything.
Custer State Park
If you are going to do much hiking I would suggest you purchase Hiking South Dakota's Black Hills Country.
The Sylvan Lakes area offers opportunities for hiking, fishing, boating and swimming. The Sylvan lake loop is flat and only about a mile long and offers some nice photo opportunities. The Sunday Gulch Trail takes off from the west end of the lake trail and offers some unique scenery. No visit to the area would be complete without hiking to Harney Peak. It is about 3.5 miles one way with about 1,000 feet elevation gain. We did it with my 6 year old son, and we only had to bribe him once with a candy bar. You can come down a different trail to add variety to the trip. If the whole family doesn't want to go they can find things to do around Sylvan Lake. My preference for hiking to Harney Peak is to start at Willow Creek Horse Camp because it gives you some great morning views of Harney Peak.
The Grace Collidge-Walk-In Fishing Area is a nice easy hike. The total hike is 3 miles one way but you can turn around anyplace. It is fun because the trail wanders back and forth across a fishing stream and the fun is wading or jumping across the stream. It keeps the kids interested.
Just driving around the park looking for Buffalo, antelope and wild donkeys is great fun.
Other places to visit
Mount Rushmore is impressive. My son had to go back 5 times to look at it. I like to stop for an early breakfast at a reasonable price. The visitors center is really something. There are a few trails in the area for photo ops.
South Dakota Air and Space Museum is great if you like planes.
We made a day trip down to Hot Springs with visits to Wind Cave, Evans Plunge and the Mammoth Site of Hot Springs all of which are worth a visit. The East Bison Flats Trail to Gobbler pass starts near the Wind Cave Visitors Center. This is an easy trail going through the grasslands, I've seen Buffalo, Elk, coyotes and lots of Prairie Dogs on the hike. I like it because I found quite a few Buffalo bones along the trail. The biggest problem were the ticks.
Hope this helps.
Posted by drew resnik on August 22, 2010 at 9:10 PM
This is a fantastic help! More than i could have hoped for. I did order a few books as well. Thanks so much for taking the time and energy to do this for me. Very appreciative, -drew
hi im new here and also new to photography to be honest. im fourteen and live in northern cyprus (and go to school) and unfortunately dont have any fancy camera or anything that will make my photos like ten times better but because i love it so much (not just taking photos but looking at others too) i thought i might as well join. id like some help or advice on what i could take photos of if i can i'll put some of mine up when i find out how to , also how i could edit them and what on. thank you so much for reading this ,and for probably wasting your time but if you can help me i would be very very thankful...x
Discussion
6 repliesThe Badlands offer great views and opportunities from the road. I saw the most spectacular sunrise I've ever seen from the Badlands after an evening storm. From the parking area on the East end of the park the Door and Window Trails are short and easy and offer some good photographic opportunities. The Notch Trail starts from the south end of the same parking lot and offers some dramatic views. I wouldn't suggest this trail for younger kids. I've been there a couple of times late in the day and it is impressive.
From this same parking lot you can hike to the west end of the park. There are a series of trails when combined are about 5 miles one way. This might be a hike you would want to do and leave the family in Wall to look around. You can hike the entire length or make a shorter loop. The hiking is easy and we did it with my 6 year old son. I wouldn't suggest hiking anyplace in the Badlands if it has just rained or looks like rain. The mud sticks to your shoes and is really something to get off.
I always stop at Wall for the cheap coffee. If you haven't see it it's worth a look and you don't have to buy anything.
Custer State Park
If you are going to do much hiking I would suggest you purchase Hiking South Dakota's Black Hills Country.
The Sylvan Lakes area offers opportunities for hiking, fishing, boating and swimming. The Sylvan lake loop is flat and only about a mile long and offers some nice photo opportunities. The Sunday Gulch Trail takes off from the west end of the lake trail and offers some unique scenery. No visit to the area would be complete without hiking to Harney Peak. It is about 3.5 miles one way with about 1,000 feet elevation gain. We did it with my 6 year old son, and we only had to bribe him once with a candy bar. You can come down a different trail to add variety to the trip. If the whole family doesn't want to go they can find things to do around Sylvan Lake. My preference for hiking to Harney Peak is to start at Willow Creek Horse Camp because it gives you some great morning views of Harney Peak.
The Grace Collidge-Walk-In Fishing Area is a nice easy hike. The total hike is 3 miles one way but you can turn around anyplace. It is fun because the trail wanders back and forth across a fishing stream and the fun is wading or jumping across the stream. It keeps the kids interested.
Just driving around the park looking for Buffalo, antelope and wild donkeys is great fun.
Other places to visit
Mount Rushmore is impressive. My son had to go back 5 times to look at it. I like to stop for an early breakfast at a reasonable price. The visitors center is really something. There are a few trails in the area for photo ops.
South Dakota Air and Space Museum is great if you like planes.
We made a day trip down to Hot Springs with visits to Wind Cave, Evans Plunge and the Mammoth Site of Hot Springs all of which are worth a visit. The East Bison Flats Trail to Gobbler pass starts near the Wind Cave Visitors Center. This is an easy trail going through the grasslands, I've seen Buffalo, Elk, coyotes and lots of Prairie Dogs on the hike. I like it because I found quite a few Buffalo bones along the trail. The biggest problem were the ticks.
Hope this helps.